Pbgalvin wrote: Read Stereophile, laugh at the prices of stuff, but in the reviews watch for interesting tracks the reviewers used to test stuff.

Now that I've come out of the Dark Ages and use Tidal, I'm able to check out those Stereophile music reviews and actually listen before I decide to buy! I can even check out many of the tracks the reviewers use to evaluate.

Downright fun.

Charlie

I’m with you, Charlie

I do the same with Deezer Elite via SONOS.

I can sample stuff via the GEt forum, YouTube, Sterophile, etc. at 16 bit 44.1 FLAC levels, and make decisions about getting Hi-Res versions from there, if available.

As always, I love having GEt speakers that can tell the difference and deliver whatever the sound source has for content. And, yes, HiRes sources sound, for me, just a tad or two more clear, natural. Not always, but if the difference Is there, the GEt’s will deliver it.

So a mix of music I love and hi-res, but GEt ‘s sure draw me in to enjoying, and looking for, music that resonates., AND, they expand exponentionally what music resonates with me. Sometimes I just sit and crank some stuff I hadn’t loved on other speakers before, and think, so that's what It can sound like and I now love it. Dynamics reappear, instruments are now so clean and clear, voices so pure, the music blossoms.

So bere’s for sharing, expanding our music horizons and letting those GEt’s show us what the music really has to offer if we let it loose!

Thanks to all who offer more listening options and choices!

Rick

A couple of holiday favorites:
Joan Baez Noel - right up there with the vince guaraldi (Charlie Brown) music as the ones we put on first after Thanksgiving
The Roches We Three Kings - if you aren't aware of the Roches maybe I'm turning you on to something great - have a listen. These women have very interesting, unusual harmonies. Great voices, interesting lyrics (on their non-holiday recordings).

WayneWilmeth wrote:

Has anyone else had trouble ordering from Amazon.com??
I ordered a Radney Foster CD, waited forever, finally got it shipped to me by my freight forwarder from CA, opened it, the box looked great, just what I ordered, took out the CD and the same pic was printed on the CD, put it in to play and it was
Fury in the Slaughterhouse an album called "The Hearing and the Sense of Balance".
Just like Christmas presents, you never know what you will get.
Then opened another CD and could not play it at all. AND I cannot return these, well, I could but the cost is way more than the CD.

Wayne, I have never had a CD substituted with Amazon. This was probably an error at the CD manufacturer.

That said, almost all CDs I get from Amazon have damaged jewel cases. I hate these things; they are brittle and do not survive any kind of mishandling. However, on the positive side, all my Amazon ordered CDs have been playable. You might check your unplayable one and see if there's any visible cracks, even if tiny. I have received cracked DVDs in the mail from Netflix. Blu Rays are a lot tougher. I imagine that overseas shipping of CDs is fraught with danger.

I can see why you like to download your music!

Charlie

rjohn79395 wrote: As always, I love having GEt speakers that can tell the difference and deliver whatever the sound source has for content. And, yes, HiRes sources sound, for me, just a tad or two more clear, natural. Not always, but if the difference Is there, the GEt’s will deliver it.

So a mix of music I love and hi-res, but GEt ‘s sure draw me in to enjoying, and looking for, music that resonates., AND, they expand exponentionally what music resonates with me. Sometimes I just sit and crank some stuff I hadn’t loved on other speakers before, and think, so that's what It can sound like and I now love it. Dynamics reappear, instruments are now so clean and clear, voices so pure, the music blossoms.

Rick, I agree totally. These GET speakers are incredibly transparent and will reveal amazing details. I still cannot reliably tell the difference between 16/44 and Hi Res, which is why I'm not excited about MQA. My hearing is the problem; I know it's not the system. I just switched to new speaker cables (Audience Au24 SX) and as they break I'll be conducting more experiments with Hi Res. These cables seem to have a bit more resolution.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie and Pbgalvin,
Charlie, the length of time it takes Amazon to fill CD orders, I think they have a little 85 year old lady copying them!!!
She certainly messed up on mine this time.
Jewel cases, tell me about it!!!! The cases on MOST of the CDs I buy from Amazon are broken. That would not bother me so much, except when the sprocket that holds the CD gets broken, about 3/5 and then the disc slides around coming halfway around the world, gets scratched up and some times unplayable. Or parts of it will be.
So some people are smarter, put them into a cardboard package, great. Except there is no plastic sleeve, no paper sleeve and the CD gets scratched just pulling it out, putting it back in. Dumb!
I am old school and like a physical CD, but am learning the joys of downloading.
When you cables get broken in, pls revisit the Hi Res thing for us Charlie!
Happy listening,
God Bless,
Wayne